My own favourite of nnenn‘s work is just over two years old now and a bit of a departure from his usual work. The incredible PX4-320b Ittadyma does a fantastic job of achieving a plausibility so rare in starships.
Be sure to join us in sharing your own thoughts on Nate’s online eulogy.
Not only does Carl Greatrix (bricktrix) make fantastic train models he’s also a very clever LEGO engineer. His model TPO rail wagon (travelling post office) actually collects mail parcels on the run with a hatch that pops out and snaps shut again. As an added bonus it also features working wheel suspension. Truly a mechanical masterpiece and pretty to boot.
Canberra Brick Expo is taking expressions of interest for their 2010 show. Check the site for up to date information but a brief summary is as follows
What
An entertaining and interesting exhibition of rare and unique LEGO® creations by interstate and local collectors and modellersWhy
Hundreds of static, moving and robotic models in themes including: Star Wars™, Trains, Planes, Space Ships, Racing Cars, Monuments and SculpturesWhen
Sunday 8th August 2010
10:00am to 4:00pmWhere
The Top of the Cross
Canberra Southern Cross Club – Woden
92-96 Corinna Street Phillip ACT 2606Want
Buy hard to find and discontinued LEGO® sets from authorised resellers onsiteWho
For more information or exhibitor applications please contact Brick Expo
According to my Future of LDraw? post there are a bunch of readers of this blog who use LDraw. But LDraw can only work with a steady stream of volunteers to make and review parts for use in new parts releases. (I also forgot to pimp the Flickr group for LDraw)
Reviewing parts is a great way to get involved without having to get too technical. Niels Bugge has written a very handy tutorial explaining what is involved and how to get involved. If you feel you’d like to give something back to LDraw this is a great way to get started.
It is also a good start to making new parts if you wish to pursue that path. If you understand 3D software which can output 3DS format you can even get involved with LDraw part creation without leaving your known environment. Simply team up with someone who does understand the LDraw file format and make and convert a file from your preferred tool to LDraw format for tidying.
There are also other ways to get involved such as running for elected office (not for a year or so now) and helping out with the website. If you think you might be interested in these roles please contact me privately.
Remember that without volunteers the LDraw library would grind to a halt. Fresh faces are always welcome and necessary. If you like LDraw please consider helping it.
Image credit to LDraw.org, Elroy Davis (taltosvt) and Niels Bugge from top to bottom
A recent discussion at LUGNET raised questions about the future of LDraw in the fan community. Oddly enough I feel I’ve seen a resurgence in LDraw work recently but of course like all of us I tend to see what I want to see so I figured I’d throw some questions out to a wider audience.
The first question is, obviously, have you ever heard of LDraw? And if you have do you know what it is? Have you ever considered using it but decided against it? If so why? Did you know the parts are all designed by volunteers?
To quickly give an overview it’s a CAD system and associated library designed to let you build LEGO models on your computer. It’s not the editors (those are things like MLCAD, LeoCAD and Bricksmith) or the renderers (like LDView) but the system all of these use and the parts library. Like LDD but more versatile. All the pictures in this article are recent creations designed in LDraw compatible software.
If you are a user I’d really like to know what you use LDraw for? Do you use it to document old models? To make instructions? To make nice pictures? To make things you don’t have the bricks for? To design models you later build in bricks? Other reasons?
Personally I feel that LDraw has enriched my LEGO hobby immeasurably and I am constantly thankful to all the volunteers who have dedicated their time to making it such a good system. I don’t ever want to see it die a slow death and I don’t think I will. I would, however, like to know what a newer and broader audience thinks.
So please, comment here, on LUGNET, or on flickr. But please do comment if you are remotely interested.
Image credit to LDraw.org, Tyler Clites (legohaulic), Mike Pianta (scruffulous) and Robin Chang (GreenLead) from top to bottom
Leigh Holcombe (Worker201) has sent the International Marine Recovery Agency (iMRA) under the sea to investigate the loss of fish. I’d do that job if I got to ride in this beauty.
Fedde (Karf Oolhu) busts out the technic figs for this deceptively large but totally lovely personal SUB-21 submarine. I now sit in wait for comments about the lack of watertightness.
Thanks to the new LEGO Remix pool on flickr I’ve uncovered not one, but two excellent builds made using only the pieces from one or two set. Alternate set builds are a great way to get creative without access to a lot of bricks like when you’re on holidays. Cole Blaq‘s Rat Rod (above) is made from 5867 Super Car while Jim Devona’s (anoved) Asymmetrical Starfighter (below) is made from sets 8969 and 8630.
In what I believe is a first (apologies if I’m neglecting credit) for The Brothers Brick I’ve decided to write a somewhat counterpoint editorial to Andrew’s latest editorial.
Andrew argues, with merit, that demands for credit are excessive and potentially “stifling (of) others’ creativity”. While I don’t disagree with his major points I do feel that his post has risky consequences which I do disagree with: discouraging credit when it can and should be given.
As a medium with a finite parts pallette, building technique is not just a means of aiding the design process but an integral part of the design process. Technique is not just a tool but can be an inseparable part of a creation. This is, for me at least, one the most interesting aspects of building with LEGO (and/or other construction toys).
The LEGO fan community has developed in an environment of sharing, cooperation and mingling of ideas. From the earliest days of rec.toys.lego through to the diaspora of today one of the key elements of the online community has been the active sharing of the techniques that go into a model in addition to the sharing of the model itself.
However, this sharing is encouraged, at least in part, by the giving of credit where credit is due. If someone knows that a clever trick they’ve spent hours developing will be used by others without so much as a thank you they may not feel so compelled to spend the time to show a cutaway version.
Likewise if someone sees a neat idea they’d agonised over being used and lauded without acknowledgement a week later by a more experienced builder they may feel justifiably aggrieved. Credit isn’t just polite, it is a driver of the shared creativity that drives the hobby.
So no, it is not your technique. If you got it from someone else then give them the credit they deserve for their creativity so that they’ll feel happy sharing other techniques. Credit is a currency and if you don’t pay for the service you may find it goes away.
